The Immortal Herb's Trial, Emperor Sword
"I've suppressed this fire puppet to the level of Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, which is equivalent to your cultivation level." A Jiao's voice carried a hint of eagerness.
"Defeat her, and you'll pass this test."
Before she finished speaking, a burst of sparks erupted beneath the Flame Woman's feet, and she charged straight at Gu Mingyuan, enveloped in a wave of heat, her two flaming longswords slashing down at his head.
Instead of retreating, Gu Mingyuan advanced, instantly activating the [Golden Jade Body] and summoning the [Hand of the Kingkiller], crossing his arms to meet the blade head-on.
Clang!
Sparks flew everywhere, and the toxic heat spread rapidly up his arms through the gaps in his gauntlets, instantly scorching the fabric on his shoulders until it was black and curled up.
However, the scorching energy that had invaded the body was immediately halved by the Elemental Damage Reduction Talent as soon as it touched the meridians.
The remaining high temperature and slashing force landed on Golden Jade Body, but instead of breaking through his defenses, they were transformed into pure kinetic energy and absorbed by his meridians, causing the golden patterns on his skin to light up.
The Flame Woman's attacks were relentless, her twin swords slashing alternately, the shadows of the blades forming a crimson curtain.
Gu Mingyuan withstood four or five blows despite the heat. Once his Jade-Shaking Force energy had accumulated to more than half, he seized the opportunity when the Flame Woman's twin swords slashed diagonally and her center gate was slightly open, and suddenly moved to the side to close in. He clenched his right fist, and golden light flashed. He slammed his fist heavily into the Flame Woman's left shoulder.
[Serious Punch!]
Bang!
The Flame Woman's left shoulder was instantly smashed open, and large bursts of uncontrolled flames spewed out from the crack.
A Jiao Ye paused slightly on the shore, clearly not expecting that this human's physical body had been trained to such an extent.
Before Gu Mingyuan could land a second punch, the flower crown trembled and decisively urged the damaged Flame Woman to retreat violently, leaping back into the scalding Scorching Yang Spring with a "plop".
The spring water churned for a mere two breaths before an unharmed crimson figure, wielding twin swords, leaped from the spring onto the shore once more.
Gu Mingyuan stopped his pursuit, raising an eyebrow at the fiery red Immortal Herb: "It can recover like this?"
A Jiao proudly shook the petals. "This Yang Spring is my home turf, of course I can. If you have the ability, you can jump in and soak in it too."
Gu Mingyuan's gaze passed over the churning red spring and landed on the Extreme Cold Ice Spring: "Is that okay too?"
A Jiao followed his gaze, her tone becoming increasingly light and teasing:
"Whatever you want. As long as you can crawl out of the icy spring alive, whatever you do with it is your skill."
Gu Mingyuan withdrew his gaze, shifted his feet to avoid the Flame Woman's twin blades that were slashing down again, and stopped fighting her. Instead, he strode along the shore at the boundary and headed towards the Extreme Cold Ice Spring.
The soil along the way was covered with all sorts of spiritual plants. Just as he was about to step into the herb garden, Aromatic Silk Beauty nearby clenched its flowerpot in fright and shouted at the top of its lungs, "Hey! Watch your step, don't trample my companion!"
The moment the words fell, dozens of rare medicinal herbs that had been stretching out their leaves to watch the spectacle on the bank suddenly shrank back as if afraid of being tainted by a plague, creating a two-foot-wide clearing in the dense Herb Garden.
Gu Mingyuan took a few steps across the open space and stopped at the edge of the Extreme Cold Ice Spring.
The Third Soul Ring lit up, and the White Demon instantly possessed the body. Pale bone armor covered the torso and limbs, the layered waist armor tightened, and two short, jet-black horns emerged from the sides of the forehead, with a chilling aura slowly flowing along the patterns on the armor.
"You intend to borrow the power of this icy spring?" The Snow Empress's voice echoed in my Sea of Consciousness.
"If she can go, so can I."
Gu Mingyuan replied and stepped directly into the Extreme Cold Ice Spring.
The moment his legs submerged in the spring water, a chill crept up his calves. A layer of frost visibly formed on the surface of his White Demon armor.
The Elemental Damage Reduction Talent took effect immediately, cutting off 50% of the cold poison that had invaded the body. Then, the doubled physique brought by the White Demon Possession and the Ultimate Ice within the body operated simultaneously, withstanding the remaining 50% of the extreme cold's onslaught.
Gu Mingyuan steadied himself in the knee-deep spring water near the shore.
Feeling the dense, almost tangible Ice-Attribute Heaven and Earth Essence within the surrounding spring water, he was startled. The Origin Source the spring water accumulated over ten thousand years in this Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was far more vast than he had anticipated.
"Snow Empress, these powers are too intense, how should I summon them?" Gu Mingyuan asked in his mind.
The Snow Empress's spiritual sense extended along the demonic armor, and after sensing for a moment, she immediately spoke:
"Such a treasure land still exists!"
"This spring water is full of unclaimed, extremely cold elemental energy. Hand over control of your right hand to me, and I will guide it."
Gu Mingyuan exhaled a breath of white air, released the meridians in his right arm, and followed the subtle guidance from Snow Empress, attempting to manipulate the spring water around him.
Buzz.
The calm, mirror-like, icy-white spring water rippled in concentric circles around Gu Mingyuan's legs.
Under the guidance of the Snow Empress, the ruler of the Far North, the ice-attribute elemental energy in the spring water became docile, transforming into strands of visible deep blue cold currents that climbed upwards along the pale carapace, all converging into his outstretched right palm, gradually condensing into a three-foot-long deep blue longsword.
"This is my ultimate technique, the Emperor Sword." The Snow Empress's clear, cold voice echoed in his mind.
"Grip firmly with all five fingers, and carefully memorize how these external forces converge and compress along the spine of the sword."
Gu Mingyuan slowly tightened his grip on the cold, piercing hilt of the sword.
With his movements, the outline of the Ice Sword in his hand became clearer and clearer. The cold air that was originally spreading outwards was gradually gathered and locked within the three-foot-long sword by him, following the Snow Empress's technique of exerting force.
On the shore, A Jiao, who had been propping herself up on a leaf, feigned regret and said, "Why did you actually jump?"
Youyou, standing nearby, immediately prepared to help. "Jiaojiao! You've gone too far! Quick, save them!!"
But seeing that Gu Mingyuan was not only standing steadily in the icy spring, but the swordplay in his hand was also becoming increasingly terrifying, the swaying petals suddenly stopped:
"You... you, a human, can really stay in Extreme Cold Ice Spring?!"
Sensing the threat emanating from the deep blue Ice Sword, A Jiao dared not be careless any longer and immediately urged the Flame Woman on the shore to approach the edge of the ice spring.
The Flame Woman leaped high into the air, bringing her twin swords together and raising them, unleashing two blazing sword beams, each several meters long, that merged into one and slashed towards Gu Mingyuan in the spring.
Gu Mingyuan raised his head, a cold light gleaming from the black horn on his forehead, and at the same moment, the Snow Empress's guidance descended:
"Now! Follow the energy flow from the spring and strike!"
Gu Mingyuan exerted force with his right arm, and swung the Ice Sword upright.
"Emperor Sword - Ice Extreme Unparalleled!"
The Flame Woman in mid-air instinctively tried to dodge with her sword, but the speed of the sword light was simply unreasonable.
Sizzle!
The icy blue Sword Light pierced straight through the Flame Woman's chest without any obstruction.
The Flame Woman's charging figure was abruptly frozen in mid-air.
The next moment, a straight slit split open from her brow to her waist, and deep blue ice crystals froze at the cut surface of her crimson body.
Then, with a loud "bang," the man and his twin swords shattered into countless fragments of ice and fire in mid-air, and even the lingering sparks of fire were extinguished by the chilling cold that followed.